UNIVERSITY  OF 


NQN  CIRCULATING 

CHECK  FOR  UNBOUND 
CIRCULATING  COPY 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

Agricultural  Experiment  Station 


BULLETIN  No.  146 


ALFALFA  HAY  VS.  TIMOTHY  HAY 

AND 

ALFALFA  HAY  VS.  BRAN 


BY  WIL,BER  J.  FRASER  AND  CASSIUS  C.  HAYDEN 


URBANA,  ILLINOIS,  JUNE,  1910 


SUMMARY  OF  BULLETIN  No.  146 

1.  A  ration  containing  10  pounds  of  alfalfa  hay  produces  17 
percent  more  milk  than  the  same  ration  when  timothy  is  substi- 
tuted for  the  alfalfa.  Pages  132  to  137 

2.  A  ration  containing  8  pounds  of  alfalfa  hay  proves  to  be 
equal  to  the  same  ration  when  bran  is  substituted  for  the  alfalfa 
hay.  Pages  138  to  144 


NOTE — Bulletin  No.  145,  entitled  Quantitative  Relationships  of 
Carbon,  Phosphorus,  and  Nitrogen  in  Soils,  is  of  a  technical  na- 
ture and  consequently  the  issue  was  limited;  but  anyone  desiring 
a  copy  may  secure  it  on  application  to  the  Agricultural  Experi- 
ment Station,  Urbana,  Illinois 


ALFALFA  HAY  VS.  TIMOTHY  HAY 

AND 

ALFALFA  HAY  VS.  BEAN 
FOR  DAIRY  COWS 


BY  WIL,BER  J.  FRASER,  CHIEF  IN  DAIRY  HUSBANDRY,  AND 
CASSIUS  C.  HAYDEN,  FIRST  ASSISTANT  IN  DAIRY  HUSBANDRY 


ALFALFA  HAY  VS.  TIMOTHY 

Two  conditions  exist  in  this  State,  in  the  feeding  of  dairy  cows, 
which  operate  against  the  economic  production  of  milk.  The  first 
is  that  large  amounts  of  timothy  hay  are  produced  on  dairy  farms 
and  fed  to  dairy  cows,  tho  all  authorities  agree  that  it  is  of  little 
value  for  this  purpose,  and  the  second  is  that  while  feeding  this 
hay,  dairymen  must  purchase  and  feed  large  quantities  of  expensive 
concentrates  in  order  to  supply  the  protein  lacking  in  the  timothy. 
Legumes  not  only  give  larger  yields  per  acre  than  timothy,  but  are 
also  of  far  greater  value,  ton  for  ton,  as  feed  for  dairy  cows,  be- 
cause they  can  be  made  to  supply  a  large  part,  or  all  of  the  protein 
furnished  by  the  high-priced  concentrates  usually  purchased,  and 
at  a  great  reduction  in  cost. 

Because  of  these  conditions,  the  demonstration  here  reported 
was  planned  to  show  the  relative  value  of  alfalfa  and  timothy  hay 
in  the  ordinary  ration  for  dairy  cows.  A  dairy  herd  in  the  north- 
ern part  of  the  State  was  selected  for  this  work.  It  was  kept  on 
the  farm  and  cared  for  by  the  owner, — Mr.  Charles  Gilkerson,  of 
McHenry  County. 

PLAN  OF  THE  DEMONSTRATION 

Sixteen  cows  were  divided  into  two  lots  of  eight  each,  a  lot 
standing  on  either  side  of  the  barn.  The  plan  was  not  to  compare 
the  two  lots,  but  to  compare  two  feeding  periods  in  the  same  lot, 
using  one  lot  as  a  check  against  the  other.  The  cows  in  Lot  i  had 
calved  shortly  before  or  during  the  preliminary  feeding,  but  before 
the  actual  test  began,  while  those  in  Lot  2  had  been  in  milk  longer. 

131 


132 


BULLETIN   No.   146 


[June, 


(See  Table  I.)  This  variation  in  time  of  calving  of  the  cows  in 
the  two  lots  really  made  no  difference  in  the  final  comparison.  The 
table  also  shows  that  some  cows  were  not  in  milk  at  the  beginning. 
However,  this  does  not  affect  the  final  results,  as  all  the  cows  were 
in  milk  during  the  two  periods  compared. 

1.— DATES  OF  CALVING 


Lot  1 

Lot  2 

No.  Cow 

Date  of  calving 

No.  Cow 

Date  of  calving 

1 

2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 

December  5 
September  14 
September  8 
January  3 
December  25 
November  16 
December  6 
December  15 

9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
J6 

September  24 
November  8 
August  15 
September  3 
October  25 
August  31 
September  19 
September  30 

The  records  of  feed  and  milk  were  kept  for  twenty-five  weeks, 
from  November  26  to  May  20.  The  first  3  weeks  were  taken  for 
a  preliminary  period^  the  next  18  weeks  were  divided  into  two  feed- 
ing periods  of  9  weeks  each,  and  this  was  followed  by  a  subsequent 
period  of  4  weeks.  The  feed  was  weighed  to  each  lot,  but  not  to 
each  individual  cow.  Thruout  the  entire  demonstration  the  basal 
ration  consisted  of  a  grain  mixture  of  2,^/2  pounds  of  corn  meal 
to  i  pound  of  wheat  bran,  and  shredded  corn  stover.  The  rations 
are  shown  in  tabular  form  below. 


Mixed  grain, 
Corn  stover, 
Timothy  hay, 
Nutritive  ratio* 


Mixed  grain, 
Corn  stover, 
Alfalfa  hay, 
Nutritive  ratio* 


AVERAGE  RATION 

Ldti 

First  Period 

13  Lb. 

10  Lb. 

10  Lb. 

1   :  10.2 

Lot  2 
13  Lb. 
10  Lb. 
10  Lb. 

1  :  6.6 


Second  Period 
12  Lb. 
10  Lb. 

Alfalfa  hay,     10  Lb. 
1  :  6.6 


12  Lb. 

10  Lb. 

Timothy  hay,     10  Lb. 

1  :  10.2 


During  the  preliminary  period,  besides  the  basal  ration  both 
lots  received  mixed  alsike  and  timothy  hay.  An  average  of  13 
pounds  of  the  mixed  grain  was  fed  per  cow,  daily,  during  the  first 
feeding  period  of  9  weeks,  and  12  pounds  daily  during  the  second 
feeding  period  of  9  weeks.  The  last  week  of  the  first  period  the 
grain  was  raised  to  14  pounds.  The  corn  stover  was  fed  at  the 
rate  of  10  pounds  per  cow,  daily.  The  above  part  of  the  ration 
was  the  same  for  both  lots.  After  the  3  weeks'  preliminary  period, 

*A  nutritive  ratio  of  1  to  10.2  means  that  the  ration  contains  1  pound  of 
digestible  protein  to  10.2  pounds  of  digestible  carbohydrates  plus  the  fat 
multiplied  by  2%. 


ALFALFA  HAY  vs.  TIMOTHY 


133 


the  hay  was  changed  to  that  which  was  to  be  fed  during  the  first 
feeding  period,  Lot  i  receiving  10  pounds  of  timothy  hay,  and 
Lot  2,  10  pounds  of  alfalfa  hay  per  cow.  At  the  end  of  the  first 
feeding  period  the  timothy  and  alfalfa  hay  were  reversed  on  both 
lots,  and  the  second  feeding  period  began,  one  week  being  taken  to 
make  the  change  of  feed.  In  other  words,  during  each  of  the  two 
periods  both  lots  were  fed  the  same,  with  the  exception  that  alfalfa 
hay  was  fed  to  one  lot,  and  an  equal  amount  of  timothy  to  the 
other,  making  a  direct  comparison  between  alfalfa  and  timothy 
hay,  when  fed  with  the  other  feeds  mentioned. 

During  the  subsequent  period  of  four  weeks,  all  of  the  cows 
were  fed  alfalfa  hay  and  pastured  on  green  rye  for  a  short  time 
each  day.  May  9,  the  grain  was  reduced  to  8  pounds  per  cow  for 
both  lots. 

TABLE  2. — L/OT  1.    POUNDS  ot?  MILK  PRODUCED  PER  Cow  PER  WEEK 
Preliminary  Period.   -Mixed  Hay 


No.  Cow 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

Average 

No.  Week 

1 

203 

199 

202 

240 

220 

198 

250 

218 

216 

2 

202 

206 

204 

240 

220 

194 

250 

218 

217 

3 

203 

205 

207 

240 

220 

189 

252 

218 

217 

First  Feeding- Period,— Timothy 


4 

198 

193 

208 

240 

215 

180 

248 

219 

213 

5 

192 

192 

206 

238 

2IO 

177 

235 

198 

206 

6 

175 

158 

179 

236 

221 

177 

235 

187 

191 

Period  Taken  for  Comparison 

7 

169 

172 

180 

235 

199 

174 

193 

198 

190 

8 

170 

181 

181 

228 

205 

166 

188 

178 

187 

9 

170 

181 

187 

222 

204 

168 

197 

187 

190 

10 

172 

181 

189 

210 

206 

173 

203 

176 

189 

11 

174 

181 

190 

213 

189 

173 

214 

157 

186 

12 

179 

185 

190 

230 

194 

168 

213 

173 

192 

Total 

1034 

1081 

1117 

1338 

1197 

1022 

1208 

1069 

1134 

Second  Feeding  Period,  —  Alfalfa 

13 

187 

189 

190 

231 

203 

160 

212 

181 

194 

14 

193 

205 

200 

232 

207 

173 

225 

199 

204 

15 

199 

212 

201 

247 

216 

181 

234 

203 

212 

Period  Taken  for  Comparison 


16 

203 

205 

202 

243 

221 

184 

242 

187 

211 

17 

207 

210 

201 

244 

225 

176 

243 

181 

211 

18 

199 

208 

194 

239 

221 

170 

240 

187 

207 

19 

202 

200 

196 

235 

202 

177 

235 

202 

206 

20 

200 

197 

195 

240 

205 

174 

230 

202 

205 

21 

201 

208 

189 

229 

229 

175 

225 

200 

207 

Total 

1212 

1228 

1177 

1430 

1303 

1056 

1415 

1159 

1247 

Subsequent  Period,— Alfalfa  and  Green  Rje 


22 

205 

212 

195 

230 

155 

181 

237 

210 

203 

23 

207 

221 

186 

240 

165 

190 

247 

208 

208 

24 

204 

211 

174 

250 

182 

195 

238 

205 

207 

25 

206 

213 

175 

252 

192 

191 

242 

188 

207 

134  BULLETIN    No.    146  [June, 

TABLE  3. — I^of  2.    POUNDS  OF  MILK  PRODUCED  PER  Cow  PER  WEEK 
Preliminary  Period, — Mixed  Hay 


No  Cow 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

Average 

No.  Week 

1 
2 
3 

150 
151 

155 

196 
198 
2u4 

111 
121 
122 

153 
155 
148 

179 
176 
179 

144 
150 
156 

189 
195 
206 

180 
1*5 
190 

167 
166 
170 

First  Feeding"  Period,— Alfalfa 


4 

165 

213 

124 

159 

185 

162 

206 

191 

176 

5 

162 

215 

128 

151 

182 

160 

206 

197 

175 

6 

1£9 

218 

123 

148 

181 

152 

199 

188 

171 

Period  Taken  for  Comparison 

7 

157 

219 

127 

154 

182 

164 

204 

193 

175 

8 

166 

215 

127 

156 

184 

163 

207 

193 

176 

9 

169 

224 

130 

154 

182 

170 

211 

195 

179 

10 

146 

225 

125 

145 

184 

166 

214 

200 

176 

11 

158 

221 

130 

144 

183 

170 

217 

202 

178 

12 

161 

221 

136 

149 

180 

169 

225 

207 

181 

Total 

957 

1325 

775 

902 

1095 

1002 

1278 

1190 

1065 

Second  Feeding  Period,— Timothy 


13 

158 

208 

131 

150 

174 

167 

209 

195 

174 

14 

148 

185 

116 

139 

156 

151 

190 

172 

157 

15 

140 

168 

112 

136 

144 

149 

184 

163 

149 

Period  Taken  for  Comparison 


16 

137 

167 

105 

140 

153 

153 

185 

164 

150 

17 

134 

164 

80 

115 

148 

157 

186 

162 

143 

18 

136 

164 

59 

116 

148 

154 

172 

160 

137 

19 

131 

149 

87 

117 

143 

148 

157 

152 

136 

20 

130 

158 

83 

116 

134 

149 

142 

154 

133 

21 

124 

153 

76 

118 

141 

143 

133 

152 

130 

Total 

792 

955 

490 

722 

867 

904 

975 

944 

829 

Subsequent  Period, — Alfalfa  and  Green  Rye 


22 

136 

169 

88 

129 

153 

154 

115 

120 

133 

23 

160 

189 

98 

123 

178 

166 

174 

188 

159 

24 

177 

189 

114 

143 

182 

180 

166 

200 

169 

25 

164 

190 

121 

133 

173 

175 

159 

196 

164 

Tables  2  and  3  show  the  amount  of  milk  produced  per  week  by 
each  cow,  and  the  average  production  of  the  eight  cows  in  each  lot 
for  the  twenty-five  weeks  during  which  the  records  were  kept.  The 
four  divisions  of  the  demonstration  are  shown  in  each  table  by  the 
sub-headings.  The  first  change  in  the  hay,  from  alsike  and  tim- 
othy to  alfalfa  on  one  lot,  and  to  timothy  on  the  other,  wras  made 
abruptly  at  the  beginning  of  the  first  feeding  period.  The  second 
change  in  hay  was  made  gradually  during  the  first  \veek  of  the  sec- 
ond feeding  period.  The  tables  show  that  in  each  case  it  required 
about  three  weeks  for  the  cows  to  adjust  themselves  to  the  change 
in  hay.  Consequently,  only  the  last  six  weeks  of  each  period  \vere 
taken  for  the  comparison  between  the  hays.  The  portion  of  the 
tables  set  in  bold-faced  type  represent  these  periods.  All  of  the 


/p/o]  ALFALFA  HAY  vs.  TIMOTHY  135^ 

remaining  portions  of  these  tables  are  used  only  in  the  construc- 
tion of  Charts  i  and  2. 

In  Lot  i,  some  of  the  cows  were  not  in  milk  at  the  beginning 
of  the  preliminary  feeding.  Their  production  has  been  estimated 
from  their  later  records  and  the  production  of  the  other  cows,  so 
that  the  averag'e  may  be  given  during  this  time.  The  averages  for 
these  first  six  weeks  are  used  only  in  the  construction  of  Charts  I 
and  2,  and  not  in  the  actual  comparisons  between  the  differ- 
ent kinds  of  hay.  The  amounts  of  milk  which  were  estimated 
are  in  italics. 

DESCRIPTION  OP  How  THE  CHARTS  ARE  MADE 

The  average  amount  of  milk  produced  per  cow  per  week  dur- 
ing the  different  periods,  and  the  effect  of  the  different  feeds  on 
milk  production  in  each  lot,  are  shown  more  plainly  by  Charts  I 
and  2.  Each  space  from  the  bottom  to  the  top  represents  10 
pounds  of  milk  produced,  and  each  space  from  left  to  right  repre- 
sents one  week's  time.  The  distance  from  the  heavy  base  line  at 
the  bottom,  which  stands  for  zero,  to  the  undulating  line  extending 
across  the  page  at  the  top  of  the  shaded  portion,  represents  the  av- 
erage amount  of  milk  produced  per  cow  per  week.  For  example, 
at  the  beginning  of  the  preliminary  feeding,  the  cows  in  Lot  i  were 
producing  an  average  of  216  pounds  of  milk  per  week,  as  is  shown 
by  the  undulating  line  starting  about  midway  between  210  and  220 
pounds.  For  the  next  two  weeks,  the  production  was  practically 
the  same,  and  the  line  runs  almost  horizontally.  The  next  three 
weeks  there  was  a  gradual  decline  in  production,  until  at  the  close 
of  the  week  ending  January  7  the  average  production  of  the  cows 
was  only  191  pounds,  and  the  undulating  line  drops  nearly  to  the 
intersection  of  the  line  representing  190  pounds,  and  in  this  man- 
ner follows  the  average  production  of  Lot  i  across  the  chart. 

A  study  of  Chart  i  and  Table  2  shows,  at  a  glance,  that  as  soon 
as  the  hay  was  changed  on  Lot  i,  December  17,  from  mixed  alsike 
clover  and  timothy  to  timothy,  there  was  a  sudden  drop  in  the 
milk  flow  of  about  25  pounds  per  cow  in  three  weeks,  and  that  this 
flow  remained  down  to  a  little  below  the  i9O-pound  line  until  the 
close  of  the  first  period,  when  the  hay  was  changed  from  timothy 
to  alfalfa.  As  soon  as  this  change  was  made  there  was  a  rapid 
rise,  during  the  next  three  weeks,  or  up  to  the  close  of  the  alfalfa 
period.  When  the  cows  were  turned  on  green  rye,  April  22,  this 


136  BULLETIN   No.   146  [June, 

CHART  1. — LOT  1.    AVERAGE!  MILK  PRODUCED  PER  Cow  PER  WEEK 


(«  Second  feedinq  period 
Alfalfa  h&u 


flow  was  still  maintained,  on  rye  and  alfalfa,  for  the  next  four 
weeks. 

A  study  of  Chart  2  and  Table  3,  shows  that  when  the  hay  was 
changed  on  Lot  2,  December  17,  from  mixed  clover  and  timothy 
to  alfalfa,  there  was  a  slight  increase  in  the  milk  flow,  which  con- 
tinued during  the  alfalfa  period.  When  the  hay  was  changed  from 
alfalfa  to  timothy,  there  was  a  rapid  decrease  during  the  next  three 
weeks  of  32  pounds  of  milk  per  cow,  and  during  the  remaining 
six  weeks  of  the  timothy  hay  period  the  average  flow  continued  to 
drop  until  there  was  a  further  decrease  of  19  pounds.  In  other 
words,  the  milk  flow  dropped  52  pounds  per  cow  during  the  nine 
weeks  on  the  ration  containing  timothy  hay.  When  the  hay  was 
changed  from  timothy  to  alfalfa,  April  22,  and  the  cows  turned 
onto  green  rye,  it  is  interesting  to  note  how  rapidly  the  milk  pro- 
duction increased  to  the  same  point  as  at  the  beginning  of  the  pre- 
liminary period,  25  weeks  previously,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that 
the  grain  had  been  reduced  from  12  to  8  pounds. 


jp/o]  ALFALFA  HAY  vs.  TIMOTHY 

CHART  2.  —  LOT  2.    AVERAGE  MILK  PRODUCED  PER  Cow  PER 


137 


fx.r 

Wk. 
220 

210 
ZOO 
190 
180 

no 

160 
ISO 
140 
130 
120 
110 
100 
90 
80 
70 

60 
50 
40 
3D 
20 
10 
0 


Mixed 
hay 


Prclimirr- 
an/fkrfa 
J 
10 


\ 


*  F/hf'  feeding  per/od 
Alfalfa  A>ay 


Period 
.31 


Period  of- 


J&n 

' 


. 

&   28  4   II   ,  ?  15  *  /I 


•»  5tcond  feeding  period  > 
Timothy  fay 


Period  of 
Companion 
r  Apr 

18  Z5   t    8    15  i 


Green  rye 


A/ay 
6    13 


Lto. 
per 
Wk 
220 


The  average  amount  of  milk  produced  per  cow  in  Lot  i  for  the 
six  weeks'  timothy  period  was  1134  pounds,  and  that  for  the  six 
weeks'  alfalfa  period  was  1247  pounds, — a  difference  of  113 
pounds  per  cow,  or  9.1  percent  in  favor  of  the  alfalfa  hay.  The 
average  amount  of  milk  produced  by  Lot  2  for  the  six  weeks'  al- 
falfa period  was  1065  pounds,  and  that  for  the  six  weeks'  timothy 
period  was  829  pounds, — a  difference  of  236  pounds  per  cow,  or 
28.4  percent  in  favor  of  alfalfa  hay.  Taking  the  average  for  the 
two  lots,  we  find  that  they  produced  17.7  percent  more  milk  while 
fed  alfalfa  hay  than  while  fed  timothy.  This  great  difference  in 
favor  of  alfalfa  over  timothy  was  not  only  true  of  the  lots,  but  of 
each  individual  cow  in  the  lots,  which  adds  greatly  to  the  evidence 
in  favor  of  alfalfa  hay. 

Assuming  that  the  above  difference  would  continue  for  the  win- 
ter feeding  period  of  six  months,  the  total  difference  in  milk  pro- 
duction for  a  herd  of  16  cows  would  be  12,100  pounds  of  milk, 


138 


BULLETIN    No.    146 


[June, 


which,  at  $1.30  per  hundred  pounds,  the  price  received,  would  be 
worth  $157.30,  which  equals  $9.83  per  cow;  $157.30  is  equal  to 
six  percent  interest  on  the  money  invested  in  sixteen  cows  at  $163 
each. 

The  total  amount  of  milk  produced  by  both  lots  for  the  six 
weeks  during  which  they  were  fed  alfalfa  was  18,496  pounds  and 
for  the  six  weeks  fed  timothy  it  was  15,704  pounds.  The  differ- 
ence in  milk  between  these  two  periods  was  2792  pounds,  which  is 
834  pounds  in  favor  of  each  ton  of  alfalfa  over  timothy.  This 
total  difference  of  2792  pounds  of  milk,  at  $1.30  per  hundred 
pounds,  the  price  received,  was  worth  $36.30.  Three  and  thirty- 
four  hundredths  tons  of  hay  were  fed  during-  this  time,  therefore  in 
this  test,  alfalfa  hay  was  worth  $10.86  per  ton  more  than  timothy. 
The  average  yields  per  acre  obtained  in  Illinois  are  approximately 
four  tons  of  alfalfa  hay  and  one  and  one-half  tons  of  timothy.  If 
timothy  hay  is  worth  $10  per  ton,  one  acre  of  alfalfa  is  worth 
$68.44  more  than  an  acre  of  timothy,  when  figured  on  the  above 
basis. 

The  value  of  the  alfalfa  will  vary  with  the  price  received  for 
the  milk,  and  for  this  reason  the  following  table  of  values  has  been 
constructed : 


4.- 


-SHows  THE  GREATER  FEEDING  VALUE  OP  ALFALFA  HAY  THAN  OF 
TIMOTHY,  WITH  MILK  AT  DIFFERENT  PRICES 


Milk  per  100 
pounds 

Value    of    alfalfa, 
per  ton,  above  tim- 
othy. 

Value  of  alfalfa,  per  acre,  above  timothy, 

when  timothy  is  worth  $10  per  ton.  (Alfalfa 
4  T.  per  acre;  timothy  \V2  T.  per  acre.) 

$1.00 

$  8.36 

$58.44 

1.10 

9.19 

61.76 

1.20 

10.03 

65.12 

1.30 

10.86 

68.44 

1.40 

11.70 

71.80 

1.50 

12.54 

75.16 

1.60 

13.38 

78.52 

1.70 

14.21 

81.84 

1.80 

15.06 

85.24 

1.90 

15.88 

88.52 

2.00 

16.72 

91.88 

- 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  above  figures  can  be  applied 
to  alfalfa  only  when  fed  with  the  feeds  used  in  this  test,  or  with 
other  similar  feeds. 

CONDITION  OF  Cows 

Besides  the  greater  returns  in  milk,  the  condition  of  the  cows 
counts  for  much.  At  the  end  of  each  period,  the  cows  which  were 
fed  alfalfa  hay  were  in  much  better  condition  than  those  fed  tim- 
othy. The  timothy,  altho  of  good  quality,  was  not  palatable,  and 
the  cows  receiving  it  lost  in  flesh,  their  hair  was  rough,  and  they 


1910}  ALFALFA  HAY  vs.   BRAN  139 

were  in  poor  condition,  generally.  A  number  of  them  were  more 
or  less  "off  feed"  at  different  times.  Such  was  not  the  case  with 
the  same  cows  while  being  fed  alfalfa.  They  had  better  appetites 
and  ate  their  corn  stover  more  readily  than  when  receiving  timothy 
hay.  If  the  effect  is  so  great  in  so  short  a  time,  it  is  easy  to  see 
why  many  of  the  dairy  cows  in  Illinois  come  out  of  the  winter  in 
poor  condition  and  have  a  small  milk  account  to  their  credit. 

This  shows  that  it  is  easily  possible  to  get  much  better  results 
from  alfalfa  hay  than  from  hay  made  of  the  grasses.  What  is  true 
of  alfalfa  also  applies  largely  to  the  other  legumes.  Besides  mak- 
ing a  better  and  more  palatable  roughage,  legume  hay  will  furnish 
all  or  a  large  part  of  the  protein  commonly  supplied  in  purchased 
feeds.  To  show  this  more  conclusively,  the  following  demonstra- 
tion was  carried  out  at  the  Agricultural  Experiment  Station: 

ALFALFA  HAY  VS.  BRAN 

The  plan  of  this  demonstration  was  to  feed  equal  amounts,  by 
weight,  of  alfalfa  hay  and  bran,  with  a  basal  ration  made  up  of 
farm  products  only.  Six  cows  in  the  Station  herd  (all  that  were 
available  at  the  time  for  the  purpose)  were  selected  and  divided 
into  two  lots  of  three  each.  While  this  is  too  small  a  number  from 
which  to  draw  general  conclusions,  some  importance  must  be  at- 
tached to  the  results.  The  test  began  December  3  and  continued 
until  April  27.  This  time  was  divided  into  two  periods  of  nine  and 
one-half  weeks  each. 

RATIONS 

The  same  basal  ration,  consisting  of  the  following,  was  fed  to 
both  lots: 

Clover  hay,  6  pounds 
Corn  silage,  30  pounds 
Corn  meal,  6  pounds 

For  the  first  period.  Lot  i  was  given,  in  addition  to  the  above, 
all  the  choice  alfalfa  hay  they  would  eat  up  clean,  and  Lot  2  was 
given  an  equal  amount  of  bran,  by  weight.  For  the  second  period, 
the  alfalfa  and  bran  were  reversed  on  the  two  lots.  Each  cow  con- 
sumed nearly  8  pounds  of  alfalfa  hay  or  bran,  daily.  The  com- 
plete rations  were  as  follows : 

Ration  1  Ration  2 

Clover  hay,                  6  pounds  6  pounds 

Corn  silage,                30  pounds  30  pounds 

Corn  meal,                     6  pounds  6  pounds 

Alfalfa  hay,                  8  pounds  Bran,     8  pounds 

Nutritive  ratio,  1:7  1:6.9 


140 


BULLETIN   No.   146 


[June, 


Both  lots  were  kept  as  nearly  as  possible  under  the  same  con- 
ditions, except  as  to  feed.  Cow  No.  24,  in  Lot  i,  got  loose  during 
the  night  and  ate  a  large  amount  of  grain,  which  caused  her  to  go 
"off  feed"  and  produce  at  least  100  pounds  less  milk  than  she  other- 
wise would  have  done.  The  results  of  the  test  are  shown  in  the 
following  tables  and  charts : 

POUNDS  of  MILK  PRODUCED  PER  Cow  PER  WEEK 

AND  AVBRAGH  FOR  EACH  L,OT 


L,ot  1 

L,ot  2 

Alfalfa 

Bran 

Cows 

Cows 

Week  ending 

No.  24 

No.  37 

No.  26 

No.  12 

No.  54 

No.  13 

Dec.  9 

206 

244 

176 

2U9 

213 

144 

244 

200 

16 

205 

238 

182 

208 

203 

142 

230 

192 

23 

198 

224 

168 

197 

201 

135 

223 

186 

30 

96 

221 

169 

162 

192 

132 

220 

181 

Jan.   6 

13  3 

213 

170 

174 

194 

129 

219 

180 

13 

162 

218 

162 

181 

194 

126 

225 

182 

20 

159 

207 

155 

173 

185 

122 

200 

169 

27 

159 

191 

142 

164 

176 

116 

181 

157 

Feb.  3 

158 

181 

136 

158 

177 

113 

171 

153 

7 

90 

109 

87 

95 

99 

66 

104 

89 

Total 

1571 

2046 

1547 

1721 

1834 

1225 

2017 

1689 

Bran 

Alfalfa 

Feb.  10 

69 

83 

63 

65 

76 

50 

86 

70 

'  17 

155 

176 

145 

158 

186 

118 

219 

174 

'  24 

152 

175 

137 

154 

176 

115 

217 

169 

Mar.  2 

148 

172 

134 

151 

171 

110 

199 

160 

9 

146 

171 

135 

151 

176 

108 

211 

165 

;   16 

154 

179 

141 

158 

176 

107 

201 

161 

'   23 

149 

173 

137 

153 

166 

109 

188 

154 

<  30 

149 

171 

131 

150 

162 

106 

176 

148 

Apr.  6 

156 

176 

133 

155 

168 

113 

188 

156 

'   13 

157 

177 

133 

156 

161 

111 

179 

150 

'   14 

21 

26 

19 

22 

24 

16 

24 

21 

Total 

1456 

1679 

1308 

1478 

1642 

1063 

1888 

1528 

Table  5  shows  the  pounds  of  milk  produced  by  the  individual 
cows  for  each  week.  A  study  of  this  table  shows  that  in  Lot  i, 
which  received  the  alfalfa  hay  during  the  first  period,  there  was  a 
gradual  decrease  in  milk  from  the  beginning  to  the  close  of  the 
test,  except  in  the  case  of  cow  No.  26,  which  increased  temporarily 
when  changed  to  the  bran.  In  Lot  2  there  was  a  marked  increase 
of  about  20  pounds  of  milk  per  cow  in  two  weeks,  when  changed 
from  bran  to  the  alfalfa  hay.  This  difference  cannot  be  attributed 
to  a  difference  in  the  protein  of  the  ration,  as  in  the  previous  test, 
because  the  protein  was  practically  the  same  in  both  rations. 

Chart  3  shows  graphically  the  average  production  of  the  two 
lots.  Each  space  from  bottom  to  top  represents  ten  pounds  of 
milk  and  each  space  from  left  to  right  represents  one  week.  It 
will  be  noted  that  Lot  i,  which  received  the  alfalfa  hay  first,  was 


ALFALFA  HAY  vs.  BRAN  141 


CHART  3  — AVERAGE;  POUNDS  OF  MIL.K  PRODUCED  PER  Cow  PER  WEEK 


Pec                   J&n                     feb                     Mar                  Apr 
9     It    23    jr>    6      13    20    £7    3     /0     i7   24    2      9      /6    £?    3?    6     /3 

Z.foJ 
per 

wk. 

ZiO 

ZIO 
zoo 

190 
180 

no 

160 
150 
140 
130 
120 

110 
ino 

2io 

200 

no 

ISO 

130 
120 

no 

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I 

ffjf 

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producing",  at  the  beginning,  about  8  pounds  of  milk  per  cow  per 
week  more  than  Lot  2.  This  difference  continued  until  the  fourth 
week,  when  the  line  representing  Lot  i  drops  below  that  represent- 
ing Lot  2.  This  was  due  to  cow  No.  24  being  off  feed,  as  previ- 
ously stated.  Had  this  not  occurred,  the  line  representing  Lot  I 
would  have  continued  above  the  line  for  Lot  2.  At  the  close  of 
the  first  period,  when  the  alfalfa  hay  and  bran  were  changed,  the 
line  representing  the  production  of  Lot  2  immediately  rises  above 
that  for  Lot  I,  and  continues  above  until  toward  the  close  of  the 
test.  The  fact  that  these  lines  follow  each  other  closely  across  the 
chart  indicates  that  there  was  little  difference  in  the  effect  of  bran 
and  alfalfa  hay. 

A  study  of  Table  6  shows  that  the  production  of  fat  has  not 
exactly  followed  the  production  of  milk.  In  changing  from  alfalfa 
hay  to  bran,  (Lot  i)  there  was  in  every  case  an  increase  in  the 
amount  of  fat,  tho  the  amount  of  milk  decreased.  In  changing 
from  bran  to  alfalfa  hay,  (Lot  2)  there  was  a  slight  increase  in 
the  amount  of  fat,  but  not  in  proportion  to  the  increase  in  milk. 
This  is  shown  graphically  in  Charts  3  and  4. 


142 


BULLETIN   No.    146 


[June, 


TABL.K  6. — PRODUCTION  OF  FAT  PER  Cow  PER  WEEK,  AND  AVERAGE 


L,ot  1 

L,ot  2 

Alfalfa 

Bran 

Cows 

Cows 

No.  24 

No.  37 

No.  26 

No.  1. 

No.  54 

.No.  13 

Average 

Dec.    9 

9.08 

10.23 

7.81 

9.04 

8.92 

6.60 

7.33 

7.61 

16 

8.60 

10.00 

7.83 

8.81 

8.52 

6.24 

6.67 

7.14 

23 

8.71 

9.66 

7.38 

8.58 

8.45 

6.62 

6.69 

7.25 

30 

4.11 

9.51 

7.45 

7.02 

8.07 

6.86 

6.37 

7.10 

Jan.     6 

5.62 

8.93 

7.92 

7.49 

8.35 

6.07 

6.36 

6.93 

13 

7.30 

9.38 

7.60 

8.09 

8.32 

6.18 

6.74 

7.08 

20 

7.01 

9.12 

7.14 

7.76 

8.13 

5.83 

6.38 

6.78 

27 

6.82 

8.23 

6.68 

7.24 

8.03 

5.56 

5.60 

6.40 

Feb.    3 

6.61 

7.95 

6.40 

6.99 

7.34 

5.41 

5.63 

6.13 

7 

3.98 

4.56 

4.01 

4.18 

4.13 

3.28 

3.10 

3.50 

Total 

67.84 

»7.57 

70.22 

75.20 

78.26 

58.65 

60.87 

65.92 

Bran 

'Alfalfa 

Feo.  10 

3.02 

3.50 

2.91 

3.14 

3.18 

2.51 

2.58 

2.76 

"       17 

7.30 

8.41 

6.68 

7.47 

7.42 

5.41 

6.80 

6.54 

"        24 

6.69 

7.74 

6.71 

7.05 

7.58 

5.28 

6.09 

6.32 

Mar.     2 

6.82 

7.98 

6.35 

7.05 

7.00 

5.15 

5.76 

5.97 

9 

6.73 

7.16 

6.75 

6.88 

7.04 

4.98 

6.00 

6.00 

16 

7.17 

7.53 

6.77 

7.16 

7.04 

5.25 

5.63 

5.97 

"       23 

6.55 

7.45 

6.58 

6.86 

6.65 

4.99 

5.46 

5.70 

30 

6.87 

7.02 

6.30 

6.73 

6.24 

5.04 

5.28 

5.52 

Apr.     6 

6.85 

7.58 

7.03 

7.15 

6.38 

5.17 

5.62 

5.72 

13 

7.07 

7.43 

6.90 

7  13 

6.02 

5.34 

5.01 

5.46 

"        14 

.93 

1.13 

1.01 

1.02 

.94 

.76 

.72 

8.1 

Total              166.00 

72.96 

63.99 

67.64 

65.49 

49.88 

54.9.S 

56.77 

CHART  4 AVERAGE  POUNDS  OF  FAT  PRODUCED  PER  Cow  PER  WEEK 


Dec.                J&n.                  Feb.                    M&r               Apt 
9    16    23    30     6    13    20    27    3     10    17  Z4    Z      9     16    23   30    6     13 

Lto 

(*r 

Wk, 

10 
9 
8 
7 
£ 
f 

L/u 
per 

WK 
10 

9 

d 
7 
b 

a 

Fi 

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Pe 

-tot 

r 

5ec 

ML 

Pt 

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ALFALFA  HAY  vs.   BRAN 


143 


TABLE  7. — TOTAL  POUNDS  OK  MILK  AND  FAT  PRODUCED  AND  FOOD  CONSUMED 

FOR  EACH  PERIOD;  TOTALS  FOR  THE  ALFALFA  HAY  PERIODS 

AND  THE  BRAN  PERIODS 


Lot  1 

Milk 

Fat 

Corn 
meal 

Silage 

Clover 
hav 

Bran 

Alfalfa 
hay 

First  period, 
alfalfa 
Second  period, 
bran, 

5161.8 

4445.8 

225.63 
202.93 

1186 
1206 

5916 
6030 

1112.2 
1170.0 

1608 

1546 

L,ot2 
First  period, 
bran, 
Second  period, 
alfalfa, 

5068.7 
4591.9 

197.80 

170.32 

1206 
1206 

6030 
6030 

1136.0 
1161.5 

1561 

1608 

Totals 
Alfalfa  periods, 
Bran  periods, 

9753.7 
9514.5 

395.95 
400.73 

2392 
2412 

11946 
12060 

2273.7 
2306.0 

3169 

3154 

Difference  in  favor 
of  alfalfa  hay, 

239.2 

-4.78 

-20 

-114 

-32.3 

-15 

Table  7  shows  that  while  fed  alfalfa  hay  the  cows  produced 
239.2  pounds  more  milk,  and  4.78  pounds  less  butter  fat  than  while 
fed  bran.  They  also  consumed  twenty  pounds  less  corn  meal,  114 
pounds  less  silage,  32  pounds  less  clover  hay,  and  15  pounds  less 
alfalfa  hay  than  bran,  because  one  cow  was  off  feed.  This  differ- 
ence in  the  amount  of  feed  is  small  and  amounts  to  little  more  than 
one  day's  ration  for  the  lot,  and  could  not  account  for  more  than 
75  pounds  of  milk.  On  the  same  feed  basis,  therefore,  the  cows 
produced  314  pounds  more  milk  and  3.5  pounds  less  butter  fat 
while  on  the  ration  containing  the  alfalfa  hay.  This  shows  alfalfa 
equal  to  or  a  little  better  than  bran  for  milk  production,  under  the 
conditions  which  are  the  same  as  those  existing  on  most  dairy 
farms. 

This  result  does  not  quite  agree  with  the  findings  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania, Tennessee,  and  some  other  stations,  which  found  alfalfa 
meal  and  alfalfa  hay  slightly  inferior  to  bran.  It  is  safe  to  say 
that,  when  alfalfa  can  be  grown  on  the  farm,  it  is  the  best  substi- 
tute for  bran  in  feeding  dairy  cattle. 

It  should  be  noted  that  in  this  demonstration  only  choice  alfalfa 
hay  was  fed.  The  cows  receiving  the  alfalfa  hay  were  in  better 
physical  condition  at  the  end  of  each  period  than  were  those  re- 
ceiving bran. 


These  two  demonstrations  indicate  that  alfalfa  hay  will  not 
only  supply  a  palatable  roughage  and  a  large  amount  of  protein, 
but  also  that  alfalfa  keeps  the  animals  in  better  physical  condition 


144  BULLETIN    No.    146  [June, 

than  such  rations  as  timothy  hay  with  grains  high  in  protein.  Like 
the  other  legumes,  it  takes  large  amounts  of  nitrogen  from  the  air 
and  causes  it  to  be  fixed  in  the  soil.  For  these  reasons  we  urge  that 
every  dairyman  make  a  strenuous  effort  to  grow  at  least  a  small 
piece  of  alfalfa.  For  methods  of  growing,  see  Illinois  Agricultural 
Experiment  Station  Bulletin  No.  76. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBAN* 


